by Alex Gerhlein ’19

Do you remember your time in eighth grade? The awkward encounters, the silent embarrassment, the feeling that it would all never end? Bo Burnham’s film lives in that space and takes utter joy in ridiculing it.

Many might not know Bo Burnham, but to fill you in, he started posting musical comedy videos to YouTube at the age of sixteen, and would go on to become the youngest comedian to get his own special on Comedy Central at just eighteen years old. Up until now, he has mostly stayed in this realm of musical comedy, creating deeply personal, while still hilarious songs and some pretty good specials. All of this is to say that Bo Burnham knows a few things that make him perfect for this story: comedy, emotion, and the internet.

Eighth Grade follows Kayla Day through her last week of eighth grade, and depicts her slow journey towards becoming comfortable with who she is, and not the facade she fronts to her classmates. While to some this might sound more like a PTSD flashback than a good movie, I can assure you it is fantastic.

First, the positives. The greatest praise I can possibly give this film is this: it gets the internet right. Have you ever seen a film (typically a horror movie) where a character tackily texts an incoherent stream of LOLs and smiley faces to someone, only for the device to be promptly written out of the film’s plot? What about characters browsing a Google substitute that looks less professional than my starting website in Mr. Jarc’s web design class? Doesn’t it ring false? Doesn’t it bug you? Well I can tell you that it bugs me and many, many others to no end, and thankfully someone seems to have gotten the message. Burnham’s characters communicate like actual teens. Try talking to a freshman about their usage of technology last year, and it will probably sound something like how this film portrays it.

Secondly, the performances. The guts it must have taken to cast an actual eighth grader in this role not only with such emotionally impactful material, but also on his first film makes Burnham deserve some serious credit. Elsie Fisher is fantastic. So many movie kids are either a: played by hapless adults trotting about in Hot Topic tees, or b: played unsuccessfully by inexperienced child actors. Fisher’s performance should sit right at the top of great child performances along with The 400 Blows and Stand By Me. She is sure to become a master performer if her skills improve from the already high starting point. Special thanks should also be given to Josh Hamilton for playing the pathetically lovable father to Fisher’s character, providing some seriously impactful moments and never ceasing to please.

What else can I say? The soundtrack is amazing; Burnham does a more than serviceable job of directing (but I’ll get into that in a bit); the writing is beyond reproach; to put it simply this film is without the faults plaguing most movies made about kids.

I’ll take a quick moment to discuss two things: the direction and the cinematography. Both were good enough for the most part, with the direction really improving towards the end of the film, but I can give Burnham a bit of a pass as it is his first feature. However, the cinematography was really something else entirely. Some moments (particularly a scene at a backyard campfire) were shot exceptionally well, but others seemed to be amateurish. The quality of shots in this film rises and falls rapidly and turns on a dime. Some consistency would have been very much appreciated, but overall it works when it has to.

Burnham’s debut is brilliant. Nowhere else have I seen a more accurate and impactful portrayal of this particular stage of adolescence. Fair warning, this is not a family film. This is an R-rated portrayal of eighth grade, and really, these days I don’t see another way to portray it. Burnham has guts to do some of the things he does, and I tip my hat to his willingness to explore certain areas.

I give this one a 10/10. It is my favorite film of the year so far. Go and see it if you can. If not, buy it when it’s available.

by Alex Gehrlein

With thirty plus years making movies, one would think Spike Lee should have broached a more classic status as a director. Sure, Do The Right Thing is rightfully revered by many (including myself) as one of the greatest films of the 20th century, and many films from The 25th Hour to She’s Gotta Have It have reached a kind of cult status among film buffs, however, Lee has never really received mainstream critical acclaim since Malcolm X back in 1992. He seems to have been kept from the consciousness of popular film for a long time, and that is precisely why it is a great joy for me to say that BlackKlansman is the newest masterpiece from one of my favorite directors.

The story is a historically reshaped portrayal of the true tale of officer Ron Stallworth, an African-American police officer in 1970s Colorado, who infiltrates the KKK over the phone and stops a terror plot in the process. A fascinating tale even if it weren’t being told to you by Lee, who takes the film into areas most films aren’t bold enough to go. I won’t get into the specifics of the film’s politics, but suffice it to say, they are present throughout. Lee is making a statement: a well-crafted, entertaining, effective, statement.

I’ll start with the positives. First, the writing. The script is the real star of this film, shooting off well written, witty points every other line, while progressing the plot to a more than satisfactory conclusion. Second, the performances. John David Washington, Adam Driver, and Topher Grace form a perfect trifecta of well executed performances that hold the film together. Washington and Driver do a great job of showing a growing friendship between two cops, each with his own personal connection to the investigation at hand. Meanwhile, Topher Grace shines as a bit of intermittent comedic relief, which balances effortlessly on the tightrope between utter ridiculousness and sheer hatred. Special mention should also go to Laura Harrier whose character throws in a political edge to the dynamic that speaks beyond the film’s time period. Lastly, and certainly not least, is Spike Lee’s direction. Lee’s style has evolved from his humble beginnings of She’s Gotta Have It, while still remaining true to his core sensibilities.

I’ll start the negatives with a few nitpicks. While Adam Driver’s overall performance is quite good, I noticed a few hiccups in his delivery, especially towards the beginning of the film, which could have easily been fixed by another take or two. He did a great job, but it’s not his best work (See Frances Ha). Secondly, some scenes are executed in a way that I feel offsets the film’s progression and really took me out for a minute. No spoilers, but a scene showing a montage of faces in a crowd, silhouetted in complete darkness, floating across the screen really bugged me, as it was not only a completely unnecessary departure from the film’s general tone and style, but distracted from the emotional core of the scene which should be Ron’s specific reaction to the crowd, and not the reactions of nameless characters in said crowd. A simple slow dolly onto Ron’s face intercut with crowd reactions would have been infinitely more effective and not taken the viewer out of the film to question why it was happening. One or two more shots did bug me, but those are more personal preference and not as glaringly obvious as that.

Lee’s film is his newest masterpiece. When the film world looks back on his incredibly accomplished career I hope this film holds up in the company of his greatest works, which, if current reactions can be trusted, appears it will. Simply put, this is a great film with a great message, one which seems to have resonated with modern audiences.

9/10